


Harry and Pepper

by Anonymous



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-09
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-22 23:34:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/919346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>(this was the first part I wrote, from which I decided to extend the story. this is why there might be some parts that cross over with other parts of the story.)</p>
        </blockquote>





	1. "Sorry Mate."

"They're beautiful." My fingers trailed across each and every curve of the plastic, goose bumps forming over my skin as I slid the dials up and down. I had never seen a soundboard quite like it. The new Sony Z750. I was in heaven. 

"I love you Uncle David! Are you sure about all of this?" I wrapped my arms around my uncle's neck as I spoke. His laugh echoed in my ears as he hugged me back. 

"Of course, as long as it's okay with you?" 

"Of course it's okay with me! This is my dream job!" I did a little happy dance to myself as I squealed. I had just been offered my dream job and there was no way I was turning this down. Sound engineering was my life, I hadn't thought about anything else since my dad bought me my first board when I was 8. My uncle had to go and look after his sister-in-law in Australia for a few months, with her being seriously ill. He had to find a replacement for his job, and that was me. "When?" 

"Rehearsals start tomorrow." My eyes widened. So soon? "Is that okay?" 

"Yeah, yeah. I just thought I'd have a bit more time." Moving to London for 2 months and then touring the country for another 4 was a lot to ask. "Naa I'm still up for it though. I'm so excited."

"Good." I don't think I'd ever seen such a big smile on my uncle's face. "Be here in the morning then. Text me if you need me." That was all he said before leaving me on my own with the soundboards.

 

***

 

I hummed as I ran my hands all over the sound boards again. I had never seen such beautiful things in my life, every curve and every dial being made to perfection. I hadn't slept a wink the previous night, my mind too full of excitement for what I was putting myself into. The rest of the band were setting up their equipment in the big rehearsal hall, but I couldn't notice anything but what was in front of me. It might sound crazily pathetic, me being so affectionate about a pile of plastic. But it was more than just a pile of plastic to me, it was one of the last links I had to my dad, and that meant a lot to me. Somebody placed their body slightly to the left of MY new boards, clearing their throat to get my attention. 

"Can I help you?" My eyes didn’t lift as I attempted to get whoever it was to go. 

"Um, I hope so." This time, I did raise my head. It was one of the headliners for this tour. I couldn't quite put my finger on his name, so I was grateful when he introduced himself. "I'm Harry. What's your name?" 

"Pepper. New engineer." I smiled, which he quickly replicated. 

"Like salt and pepper?" He chuckled at his own joke, one that I did not find very funny due to the amount of times I had heard it.

"That's the one." I snapped a bit too harshly. But he didn’t seem to notice. 

"Well, I hope I'll be getting to know you a lot more, Pepper." I smiled sheepishly once more before returning my focus to the board. I hoped by not reply would get the boy to go, but in fact did exactly the opposite. My shot my head up upon hearing sniggering coming from behind the boy, who was still standing in exactly the same spot. 

"Look, sorry mate, but would you mind? I'm still getting acquainted with these bad boys, and anyway, it looks like your friends are waiting for you." I gestured over Harry's shoulder to the four boys who were making inappropriate gestured with their hands towards mine and Harry's situation. His head hung low, a pinkish tinge appearing on his cheeks as he realised what his friends were doing. Their actions looking like they were trying to make Harry feel as awkward as possible. 

"Urm, yeah sure. I'm sorry about them." His cheeks grew redder as he looked me in the eye. "I'll see you later?" His words sounding more like a question than a statement. He backed away having seen my small nod. I couldn't help but giggle as he ran over to his friends, jumping on one of their backs and managing to get another into a headlock. They all seemed like really nice boys to be around, reminding me of my friends back in secondary school who would've acted exactly the same way. A painful yelp came from the corner the boys had turned, Harry running back around not long after. "Hi again." I smiled as he walked around the boards to stand next to me. "um… I was wondering if it is okay if I could get your number?" Dark curls shielded his face as he talked, his head hanging low making me unable to see his expression. I hesitated, not sure what to do. I mean, it would probably become inevitable that I ended up with his number due to us spending 6 months together, but on professional terms. This sounded like he wanted my number for a bit more than that. 

"Are you hitting on me?" I raised my eyebrow, teasing the boy. I wasn’t going to deny, he was really cute. His green eyes suited his face perfectly, along with his mop of curly hair that sat on top of his head. Not to mention his hands... wow he had nice hands. Don't judge, I have a thing for big hands okay. His eyes shot up to meet mine.

"Um, yeah.. I mean no! I mean, only if you want me to be…" The red blotch grew larger in his cheeks, obviously embarrassed by the situation. I giggled at his nervousness, it becoming apparent by his rambling. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket, him doing the same. A large grin appeared on his face when he realised I had accepted his offer. Once we had our own phones back, we stood there smiling at each other. It was a bit awkward, but it only became awkward when one of Harry's friends reappeared. 

"Harry! It's time for your rash ointment." Harry looked shocked at his friend's words. 

"I-I don't have a rash!" I giggled as he reassured me, panic in his voice. He turned to his friend, giving him the death stare as his friend was collapsed on the floor in laughter. "I'll text you." I nodded before allowing him past. "I'm gonna kill you, Louis." I've never seen a person run away faster than Harry's friend.

 

***

 

I ignored Josh, focusing more on my phone that vibrated in back pocket. Rountinely unlcoking the device, a small smile formed on my lips as I saw who it was from. 

 

From: Harry

Come sit with us? X

 

I glanced up to find the boy grinning at me from the table on the opposite end of the cafeteria. I had sort of joined the band for dinner, them being the people I had spent the most time with today. They had allowed me into their group straight away. Our similarity in ages probably helping with the forming of our friendship. I had been told I was the youngest crew member, and the youngest girl with the next nearing 30 years old. Several men had turned their charm on for me, but only one making an impression. 

 

To: Harry

Thank, but I'm alright over here. Sorry mate x

 

I was hesitant with adding the x on the end, but didn't want to seem rude. I didn't want to let him know I liked him, I hadn't known him long enough to know myself if I did. My attention was regained to the table by Dan throwing a carrot slice at me. "Oi, what was that for?" I threw it straight back at him.

"You weren't listening." Dan retaliated, flicking a piece of mash at me from his spoon. I gasped, feeling it land in my hair. A hand was slapped against Dan's mouth as he tried to keep a laugh from leaving his mouth. 

"This. Means. War." I stated, launching peas at his face. Our mini food fight was cut short, Josh breaking the two of us up. 

"Just bring Harry into the conversation and she'll stop." Unintentionally, I did what he had predicted. I paused, looking strangely at Josh, who continued. This time, he directed his words at me. "Every time he's looked your way today, you've gone bright red!" I could feel myself blushing again, hair hanging down to cover my face as I realised I had been caught. Josh was right. Harry had continually caught my eye, winking at me or making weird faces. I thought I was alright, hiding my blushing face behind my hair. But it seems as though I hadn't been careful enough. "Someone likes Harrryyyy." 

"I do not!" I lied, slipping my phone out of my pocket as it vibrated once again. 

 

From: Harry

Please! I'd much rather talk to you then these idiots. xx

 

I grinned, seeing him looking at me again out of the corner of my eye. "What's the betting that Harry just text her?" I threw the closest thing at Josh, which happened to be an apple, to shut him up.

 

***

 

"Do you need a lift?" I didn't need to turn to see who it was, my ears becoming accustomed to the boy's distinctive voice in just a few hours.

"No, it's okay. My car's outside." I turned to see a smirk on Harry's lips, his body leaning against the work top. "Thanks for the offer though."

"Where are you staying?"

"Oh, um.. I don't know yet. I'm supposed to be in some hotel but I have no idea where it is." Embarrassment filled me, my fingers suddenly becoming very interesting. 

"You're staying with me tonight." I lifted my head to find the boy walking towards my, my hand taken hold of in his long fingers as he pulled me to the exit, me having finished tidying up. 

"What? No! I can't do that. I'm fine in a hotel." I pulled my hand out of Harry's grip making him come to a stop. "Anyway, I barely even know you. For all I know, you could be a murderer." The small smile that barely made it to my face was a big contrast to the large one on Harry's, his wide smile encouraging his dimple to show.

"Don't make me tie you up." He winked, teasing in his voice. I was still hesitant. "Come on Pepper, I'd feel better knowing you were safe than wondering around a strange city at midnight." Thoughts ran through my mind, he cared about me? "And who knows who would want to take advantage of a pretty, 17-year old." 

"I'm 18." 

"Still…" His hand outstretched, waiting for me to slip mine into. My eyes flicked from Harry's to his hand, not sure of what to do.

"Are you sure?" 

"I want you to come home with me. Add you to my collection of dead bodies." The grin was wide on Harry's face as I lightly slapped his shoulder at his joke. I took Harry's hand, allowing him to lead me to his car. A slight squeeze could be felt, my small fingers dwarfing Harry's, even though I wasn't that short. 

"I wouldn't try anything. I've got Superman on sped dial." I joked as we walked out of the building, our cars being two of the last there. 

"You don't need Superman, you've got me."

 

***

 

"You can take that room if you want." He pointed his fingers to the first room on the right as he locked the front door. "Bathroom's next to you, living room opposite. I'm next to the living room and the kitchen's at the end of the hall." He took my coat from my shoulders, hanging it up on the peg next to his.

"Thank you for this." He smiled, dimple popping again as he kicked off his shoes next to mine. 

"I'm gonna shower quick, I'll leave you a towel in there in case you want to." 

"Thanks." I didn’t quite know what else to say apart from thanks. "Oh shit." I mumbled under my breath, hoping Harry wouldn't hear as he went into his room. Obviously I wasn’t quiet enough.

"What? What is it?" Harry spun around, back at my side in no time. 

"Oh, nothing. It's just I left my clothes in my car…" I found myself embarrassed again, hiding my face behind my hair. I had found that that was one of the benefits of having long hair, it providing a shield against the rest of the world. 

"I'll run by the studio in the morning and pick up your car for you if you want." Harry made me face him by lifting my chin using his fingers.

"It's okay. I can quickly change before we start tomorrow." I didn’t want to be a hassle for him after all he had done for me tonight.

"Don't worry about it. Where's your keys?" I fumbled around in my bag for them, passing them to Harry when I found them. He bent down, pressing his full lips against my cheek. I won't be a cheesy bastard and say sparks flew between us and all that shit, but I can't deny that I felt all funny inside. "Goodnight, Pepper." All I could do was smile up at him, a bit dumbstruck due to our previous moments. He didn’t say anything else, spinning on his heels and stripping his shirt off of his body as he walked to the bathroom. I rushed into the room that Harry had allowed me to use, hoping that he wouldn't reveal anymore of his body before he got to the bathroom door.


	2. Thunder Storms.

Ugh fuck, I hate being woken up like this. Quickly shooting my hand out of the covers to grab my phone from the side, I raised the duvet above my head and curled up underneath it, protected from the outside world. 2.17am. Well that’s great. Rolling onto my side, I attempted to fall back to sleep, tossing and turning to get comfortable. The rain began to die down, the wind not so loud and forceful. And just when my eyelids were finally dropping, the biggest roar of thunder sounded, so strong I could feel the house shake. I screamed, jumping out of bed and running across the hall. I hoped I wouldn't have to do this, but I knew there was no chance of me getting back to sleep now. 

"Harry?" I gently knocked on his bedroom door, opening it slightly to see if I could spot him. There he was, body tangled within the sheets as his chest rose and fell steadily. A small snore left his mouth, body rearranging to find comfort. The sheet fell down his chest, giving me a chance to take in his defined torso. A second loud roar of thunder startled me, snapping me out of my trance as I sprinted into Harry's room instead of knocking again. I hated my fear, one of the things that I would always worry about people discovering. Ever since I was little, I would find comfort in being with someone, waiting the storm to ride out. That usually meant me sister, my fingers clinging on to her as though my life depended on it as we slept. "Harry?" Fingertips pressed into the firm skin of his shoulders, shaking him slightly in an attempt to wake him up. I shook him again, this time with a little more force. Long curled eyelashes that were fanned out over his cheeks rose, green eyes partially showing. 

"Hmm?" Harry stirred, obviously still half asleep. I stood there for a while, trying to build up the courage to share my most shamed fear with a boy I hadn't known for very long. Harry's fingers felt around his chest, a gentle squeeze when he reached my hand encouraging me to continue. Ah, fuck it. 

"I'm scared of the thunder, do you mind if I stay in here tonight?" He didn't say anything. Well that's better than bursting into laughter like I had expected. Shuffling over to one definite side of the bed, he allowed me to slip in next to him. I balanced on the furthest edge of the mattress that I could without falling off, not wanting to take up to much of Harry's bed space. My chosen position didn’t seem to be the one Harry agreed with, his arm curling under my neck as he coaxed my head towards his bare chest. I tried resisting, but his adamant actions couldn't be objected to. He shuffled his body around, morphing into my side. As much as I wanted to, I restrained myself from wrapping my arms around his waist and breathing in his scent. The most intimate moment between us yet only being an innocent hug or playful flirting around the house. I realised Harry must still be in his dream world when a pair of lips pushed against the top of my head, despite my heart fluttering as he did. I couldn't deny that I had started to have feelings for the boy.

"Go to sleep. I'll protect you."

 

***

 

I nuzzled further into my pillow, the restless night I had only leaving me with what felt like 5 minutes sleep. I didn't want to get up. Groaning, I rolled over, attempting to take my pillow with me. "Pepper, my leg doesn’t bend that way babe." I sharply opened my eyes, surprised by Harry's voice in my room. I was surprised at what I saw, his room… and his foot by my face. 

"What the hell?!" I squealed, sitting up abruptly to find Harry propped up on his elbows, chuckling at me. I went to stand up, but Harry grabbed my wrist, pulling me back to him so my face was next to his. 

"Noo." He whined, nuzzling into my body. I had no idea what was going on, the lack of comfort I was feeling overriding the fact that I was in bed with Harry. "Stay, please. You're really warm." I forced Harry to explain everything, including the reason why I was in bed with him. The last thing I remember was getting woken up by the storm, nothing else. After hearing Harry out and thanking him for what he did, I went to stand up again, removing his arm from my waist. "Please don't go, Pepper. It's freezing in here!" I raised my eyebrow at him, showing his persuasive skills weren't quite up to scratch. "Anyway, I don't think you'll want to go anywhere without these…" He grinned, a smile that meant he was up to something. A pair of my pyjama shorts were twirled around on his fingers.

"Why do you have them?" I gasped, stealing them from his grasp. 

"You practically attacked me as you kicked them off in your sleep… along with these." That grin of his was back again. He whipped up his hands, revealing my underwear. I gasped once more; I could feel my cheeks going red as I felt up my leg to find nothing there. "Don't worry, I didn't see anything." His cheeky grin made me scowl, our situation very uncomfortable for me right now. Snatching them back, I shimmied them up my legs. "I never saw you as a Tom& Jerry girl… more of a Spongebob girl I think." I slapped Harry's arm, scolding his not-so-funny joke. He obviously thought different, laughing along to himself. Immature little prick. 

"I'm going for a shower," I stated, running out of Harry's room as fast as I could. 

 

***

 

"Babe, I was only joking earlier, you know." Harry turned off the radio as he drove us to the studio. I had barely said a word to him since I had left his room earlier that morning, too embarrassed to face him. "And being scared of thunder is nothing to be ashamed about."

"It's not that." Well it kinda was, but that wasn't the worst of it. I hung my head, my words only coming out in a small whisper. 

"Then what is it?" Harry questioned, taking a small glance at me before taking my hand in his. He moved them around so the back of my hand was touching his palm, making it easier from him to drive with our hands still entwined. I knew it was only a friendly gesture, but to me it felt like so much more. But that was just my feelings getting in the way of reality. 

"I came into your room in the middle of the night because I was scared. How childish is that? Then, to top it all off, I practically stripped right in front of you. If that's not embarrassing then please, tell me what is." I hung my head, my hair providing a shield from Harry. I attempted to shake my hand out of Harry's hold. But all it did was encourage him to hold tighter. 

"Babe, don't be embarrassed." Harry pulled into the studio car park, finally letting go of my hand when he needed to pull on the hand brake. I tried to get out of the car as quickly as I could, but Harry locked me in, refraining me from doing as I wanted. 

"Harry, let me go." I whined, hoping he would give in.

"Don't be embarrassed okay. I'm sure I've done worst things than that, and plus, it was really cute." He used his fingers to get a hold of my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye. 

"That's not a good thing."

"It is. It meant I could protect you." I blushed at his words, my heart leaping into my mouth when he pressed his lips lightly against my forehead. "Now come on you, let's go. I promise I won't say anything." Before I knew it, Harry was out of the car and walking to the studio entrance.


	3. "Let Me Kiss You."

"Harry, is chicken and pasta okay tonight?" The sound of running water informed me Harry was already in the shower. I quickly shook the unruly thoughts of a naked Harry, water droplets dripping from his dampened curls down his chest, as I waited for his reply.

"Yeah, sounds good." His voice was fainter than usual, the water hitting the bathtub drowning out the noise. Since Harry had refused to let me stay anywhere else after the first night I stayed at his, I had taken it upon myself to cook every night for the both of us. I still did this even though we both knew Harry was the better cook. I turned on Harry's sound system in the kitchen, raising the volume so I could have a little sing-a-along as I made us dinner. I had the pasta in one pot and the chicken in another, preparing the sauce on the island. I couldn’t help but groan when a song came on that I had grown to love and hate at the same time. 

"Oh I just wanna take you anywhere that you like…" Unintentionally, I found myself singing along. Well you would, the words sticking in your head having heard it at least twice a day for the past month. My legs flew about, my awful dancing helping me travel across the kitchen to put the sauce on the stove. "Baby say yeeeaaaaahhhh…" My voice still carried through the kitchen, a squeal stopping the notes. I don't think I've ever jumped so much in my life than when I turned to find Harry chuckling as he leant against the doorframe. I ignored the sinful thoughts that entered my mind because Harry only had his usual pair of grey joggers slung on his hips, the black band of his boxers visible. Every time Harry walked around like this my breathing would increase, despite it being his usual attire. Having basically lived together for a month, we had become really close so Harry being topless was no surprise to me. I still liked him. I liked him a lot. But I don't think he still likes me, if he liked me at all in the first place. Our friendship becoming stronger every day. "Harry Edward Styles! Don't scare me like that!" I placed the sauce over the heat before going to launch myself on top of him. Taking him by surprise, he fell onto the floor with me landing on top of him. I sat on his hips, tickling him until he surrendered. Whenever Harry would annoy me or scare me, I could always rely on his ticklish spots to get an apology. Plus, it was hilarious watching him squirm.

"Okay okay, I surrender!" He held his hands above his head to prove his point. I watched as he got to his feet. "I thought you didn't like our music." He smirked, obviously enjoying the fact he had caught me in the act. 

"I don't. Just because I don't like it doesn’t mean I don't know the words." I snapped back, the smirk just growing larger on Harry's lips. "And anyway, it's kind of hard to not pick up the words when I have to hear you cheesy puffs singing them every day!" 

"Cheesy puffs?"

"I couldn't think of anything else, okay!" I could feel myself blushing as Harry chuckled at my comment, a fail of an insult at short notice.

"I like your singing, but I'm glad you didn't choose dancing as a career choice." I faked a gasp at Harry's insult, holding my hand above my heart.

"I'm a better dancing than you any day." 

"You wish, Babe." He walked to the sound system, restarting the song. "Dance with me." I took his outstretched hand. 

"Be prepared to be beaten, Styles." I stuck my tongue out at him, teasing. "I can't believe you have your own music on your iPod." He pulled me closer to him, the both of us basically just spinning around the room. 

"You can't deny it's a good song." He didn't say anything else before his voice sung the words to his own song. It made my heart skip a beat, hearing the beautiful voice that the boy possessed. It would if I caught him singing at home, it would in rehearsals. I just let loose, singing at the top of my voice as Harry twirled me around. We stopped, standing in each other's faces as we sung the main line together. 

"BABY SAY YEEEAAAAAHHHH, YEEAAAHH AND LET ME-" I was cut off, unable to say the last two words as my lips had been stopped. I froze, not knowing what to do. Harry, the boy who I had being lusting after recently, was kissing me… and I didn't kiss back. Oh crap. Move lips, move! There had been about 5 seconds when Harry grunted against my lips, pulling back. I stood there, staring.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Well I did but I didn't. Oh god what am I saying?! I mean I just... and you were just… and I was just... Oh god, I'm sorry, I'll just go now." He spun quickly on his heels, almost running to his bedroom. He didn't slam his bedroom door, but it was so obvious he was upset. I realised what I had to do, following him and opening his door slightly to find him on the edge of his bed, hands holding his face as his elbows rested on his knees. He must've heard my open the door because his eyes shot up to meet mine. "Look I'm sorry." I slowly walked closer to him as he spoke. "It's just I really like you... like a lot. I get you don't like me back but I just couldn't help it because I loved how you were just being yourself with me back then and I thought it felt like the right moment and I just hope this won't affect our friendship but if you want to move out now because you think it will be awkward I understand even though I don't want you to go and-" Harry rambles when he's nervous, it's cute. I stopped his little rant by placing my hand on his cheek, my body having fit in between his knees when I had joined him as he spoke. He raised his head so he could look at me properly, my head tilting down to watch his. I didn't say anything, just gently pushed my lips to his. This time he was the one to freeze. I pulled back, scared when I didn't get a reaction from him. "Wha-what?" He was confused. I had to explain.

"I -I think I like you too." My eyes hit the ground, embarrassed. I never really was the shy type, my friendships made on even my first day of this new job proving my point. But when it came to Harry, I was a totally different person, my emotions and feelings changing instantly. A wide grin spread on Harry's face, his body raising with mine still in between his legs.

"Does that mean I can do this again?" His height wasn't that much different to mine, but I still had to look up to look at him properly. He rubbed my cheek with his nose; our faces become closer within a second. It felt as though he was testing my reactions, lips decreasing distance when I didn't pull away. He nuzzled my neck, placing delicate pecks against my jaw. I didn't know what to do, where to put my hands, how to act back to him. Luck was on my side when Harry gently stroked my arms, entwining our hands when he reached them. My breath hitched in my throat, not knowing such small actions could make me feel the way I did. 

"Harry." I whispered as he sucked slightly on my neck, pulling away when he heard my voice.

"Oh crap, do you not like it? Do you not like me? Oh God, I took everything the wrong way didn't I?" I stopped him from rambling by resting my forehead on his, something only possible if I went on tiptoes.

"I do like you. Just stop dragging on and kiss me will you." His grin replicated mine as he realised what I said.

"Gladly." I didn’t have time to think before Harry pressed his lips against mine for the second time that night. It felt so different than before, holding so much more meaning. I kissed him back, moving my lips against his. Shaking my hands out of his hold, they found their way to his neck, pushing his head closer to mine. I could feel his Harry's lips curve as I did so, the feeling making me laugh. "Stop laughing!" He attempted to kiss me again, having pulled away when he spoke to me, but I couldn't let him. The laughter was falling from my mouth, but the worst thing was that I didn't know why I was laughing anymore. "What is wrong with you, woman?" He tried to sound serious, but it is clear he was laughing as well, probably at my weirdness. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I apologised as I gained my breath back. He continued to chuckle at me, taking a seat on the bed and pulling me towards him. He took holds of my hands, bringing them to his mouth. I couldn't help but smile as he did so, the gesture so sweet. I batted his hands away, squealing slightly as he moved his hands around to my backside. "Oi, just because we kissed doesn't give you the right to touch me up. Keep your hands to yourself, Styles." I smirked, knowing he was only playing as he chuckled. 

"Just come here." He smiled, pulling on my hips so I would straddle his. He kept his hands at the base of my back, stopping me from falling back, as mine came up mindlessly to play with his hair. I stopped, finding his staring a little creepy. 

"What?" I smiled, quizzing the boy on his freakish stare. 

"Nothing, you're just really pretty." He grinned as I lowered my head, not wanting to make my blush visible. "Will you stay in here tonight?" I snapped my head back up, eyes wide with his question. "I'm not going to try anything, I just want to cuddle." It was his turn to blush, his obvious embarrassment at his words. 

"Aww." I cooed, pinching his cheeks between my fingers. "You're gonna have to persuade me then, ain't ya?" He grinned again, accepting the challenge I had just set him. His smile disappeared, nose scrunching up as he smelt the air. 

"Can you smell something?" I copied his actions before jumping up of the boy's lap. 

"Crap, the food."

 

***

 

I sat on the kitchen counter, not very happy at Harry's distraction from my meal. I was looking forward to it as well. I grabbed the pots and scrapped the black, crispy remainings into the bin; there was no way any of that was edible any more. "Pizza?" Harry stood in the doorway, holding up a take away menu.

"Chinese." I grinned, knowing Harry would go along with anything I asked. He sighed, walking into the living room to order the food. "Shotgun choosing the film!" I shouted at the boy, pulling a beer and a coke out of the fridge. 

"… Kay, thanks mate." Harry put his phone on the coffee table, relaxing back into the sofa. I sprinted from the door straight at the side of the sofa, throwing the drinks onto the second couch as I went. I launched myself into the air just before I ran into the arm of the sofa. 

"I CAN FLY!" I screamed, landing straight on Harry, who produced a large groan at the sudden impact. For the second time that night I burst out laughing, not able to control it. "I'm sorry, but that was hilarious." I replied to Harry's pouted lips. 

"To you, maybe. That hurt!" I sat up, my breathing calming as I stopped the laughter. 

"You little pussy." I thought Harry hadn't heard the insult, my mumbles quiet. I was wrong, the boy gasping and holding his hand dramatically over his heart. 

"What did you just call me?!" 

"I called you a pussy; you got a problem with that?" I couldn't fight off the smile that had found a way onto my lips, how I loved to tease the boy. 

"Yeah, I do. This is on!" He ran after me as I jumped off of him, attempting to lock myself in the bathroom so he couldn't get to me. My attempts were failing when I felt a large pair of hands hold onto my waist. I squealed as I was hauled over one of Harry's broad shoulders, my fists pounding against his toned back as I screamed at him to put my down. His deep laugh echoed as he ran about with me.

"Harry! Let me go!" My requests were granted as I felt myself land on something soft. I lifted my head and knew my surroundings to be Harry's room. Harry was stood at my feet, smirking down on me. "What are you doing?" He didn't say anything, just knelt above my body, hands either side of my face. "If this is your attempt at seducing me then it really isn't working." I smirked, trying to hide my real feelings. I was lying by saying he didn't have an effect on me, I could feel the hairs on my arms standing on end as he lowered his body- in a good way. 

"Just be quiet and let me have my moment." His growl was muffled against the skin, his lips having met my neck. He gently kissed my jaw before hovering his face over mine. "Kiss me." I didn’t have to be asked twice, my head rising slightly off the pillow so I could come in contact with his lips. This kiss was very different to the one earlier, this being filled with passion rather than the gentleness of the previous. I wrapped my arms around his neck in an attempt to get him closer to me, my fingers fiddling with the tiny strands of hair at the base of his neck. Harry hummed against my lips, my actions obviously pleasing him. He moved one of his hands to my cheek, guiding it to where he wanted it to go. I felt his tongue slide across my bottom lip, but before we could continue I moved my hands to push him away, the doorbell ringing through the flat. 

"Food's here." I grinned, Harry moaning as he knew he would be the one having to answer the door, and that he would have to walk away from our intimacy. 

 

***

 

Empty takeaway cartons were scattered across the living room floor, Toy Story being my choice of film for the night. Harry's fingers played with a loose piece of string from my (well his) joggers, my legs laid out across his as his eyes were fixed upon the TV. I, however, was not as focused, my mind often wandering completely off subject. It was now or never. "Harry?"

"Mmm." His eyes not leaving the screen as he replied.

"What are we?" The question had been thought of quite a lot in the past hour since the film had started. I wanted to be able to hold his hand in public, to kiss him around the studio without a care in the world. I knew with Harry being a public figure that it would be difficult outside in the real world, but I hoped that we could do what we wanted when we were with friends, within reason. I just hoped he felt the same way. 

"What do you mean?" The film was paused, Harry's focus switching to me instantly. 

"Well, I wanted to know if it was alright with you if we could act like we do at home at the studio and stuff… or do you want to keep this a secret?" A sigh left Harry's lips, his body turning to face mine. 

"Come here." He held out his hand, waiting for me to shuffle closer to him. "I like you Pepper… a lot. I want to see how things go between us, starting with me taking you out tomorrow?" His words came out as a question, my cheeks heating up. "I want people to know that I like you, and if that means I have to shout it to everyone we walk past I will." His words made me giggle, his lips curving upwards as he saw me laugh. "So no Pepper, I don't want to keep us a secret." We sat there smiling at each other. If we had had the curtains open and somebody had walked past, they'd think we were crazy. "Can I kiss you now?" He laughed, tightening his grip on mine.

"No." Harry's face was filled with both confusion and sadness, unsure at my answer. "Let's go to bed first." His face immediately lit up, both of us leaving the living room in its untidy state as we made our way to Harry's bedroom.


	4. Mean Words.

"Why did you do that?" I had a stern tone to my voice, Harry slamming the door behind him. 

"It was only dinner, Pepper." I could tell he was trying to stay calm, the grimace in his voice making it obvious. 

"Exactly. It was only dinner. I could've paid for myself." I spun on my heels having flung my shoes, coat and bag into my room. My room that I had barely been in since Harry first kissed me, only to get changed every morning considering my clothes were still in there. 

"I was being polite. It's a gentlemanly thing to do, paying for dinner." Harry hung his coat on the hook be the front door, his actions calmer than mine. 

"But you know I hate it! Just because you are crazy rich… you know I like to make my own way. I don't need pity money." It had always bugged me when he would do this. Anytime we would go out, whether it be just the two of us or with a group, Harry would pay for me, every time without fail. I had told him every time that I could pay for myself, but he would refuse. Today was just the day when all this anger escaped me. 

"Oh for God's sake, Pepper! Why are we even arguing about this? Most girls would love to have their boyfriend pay for everything for them!" Harry's raised his voice, a sign of his anger. I didn't know whether it was his intention to scare me, but it did. I didn't let this show though, forcing any intimidating actions to the back of my mind quickly.

"Yeah but I'm not most girls, and you're not any boyfriend. You're Harry Styles for God's sake! You have girl's falling for you at your feet and you could probably pay each and every one of them off with the amount you earn. At least I don't go flaunting my money around!" I screamed in his face, the distance between us decreasing as he stormed towards me. 

"Yeah well at least I don't go flirting about with my boyfriend's mates straight in front of him. I've seen you with Josh and Sandy in rehearsals… even with Louis and the rest of the boys, just like a pathetic little slut would." I gasped at his words, his arms, which previously had kept a strong grip on the wall either side of my head, falling. A hand covered his mouth as he realised what he had said, Harry stumbling back. I didn't know what to do, so I ran. I ran into my room, grabbing my rucksack and throwing some clothes in it. Harry's pleads could be heard from the other side of the door, but I did all I could to ignore them. Once I had all I needed, I swung the door open, Harry falling through and stumbling to regain his balance. 

"Pepper, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it, I swear." I shook my wrist out of Harry's tight grip, rushing to the front door.

"Save it Harry. I'm not interested." I called out to him, walking the short distance to my car, which was parked next to Harry's on the road. 

"Pepper? Where are you going?" Harry's voice was muffled by the wind, his distance making the noise quieter.

"I'm going to Josh's. Oh but don't worry, I'm not going to throw myself at him, because I'm not a slut!" I screamed the last bit at him, hoping he would realise how upset I was at his words. As I drove down the road, I kept glancing at the front door through my mirror. Even when I turned the corner, he was still there watching.

 

***

 

"He's been crying Pepper. He's obviously sorry." I didn't bother looking up when Louis told me Harry had arrived. I had explained everything to Josh last night, and again to the rest of the boys this morning when they had questioned why I hadn't arrived with Harry. Louis and Liam were the most shocked, not realising how Harry could say such words to me. His calls and texts once I had left last night didn't stop, the last one I received when I woke up in the morning on Josh's spare bed being at 3.20am. But I was in no mood to talk to him, not after what he had said. "Please, just go talk to him." I didn't reply, but finally took a glance at my so-called boyfriend. Louis was right: Harry's eyes were bright red and puffy, like he had been crying non-stop for years, his hair messy and dishevelled where he had run his hands through it so much. I couldn't help but feel guilty that I was partly to blame for Harry's state, but the realisation of what actually happened last night quickly came back. He placed his coat on the chair, revealing what I could've sworn was the same white t-shirt he was wearing yesterday. But then again, Harry owned so many of the same plain t-shirts that it was hard to tell sometimes. He caught my stare, eyes showing a glint of hope as he gave a small smile. Pretending I was looking somewhere else, I turned quickly to fix Zayn's earpieces to his battery pack. Harry could be seen out of the corner of my eye, his look staying at me for a few seconds before going over to Josh and the rest of the band. I swear to God if he starts on Josh I'm never going to talk to him again. 

 

***

 

"I'll be back in about an hour!"

"Alright Pepper." I closed Josh's front door behind me once I was sure Josh had heard me. Me being me needed to go back to Harry's, not having enough clothes to last me. I was dreading it; I didn't have a clue what I was going to say if he was there. It's been 2 days and I haven't said a word to him, despite his numerous tries. I miss him like crazy, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to forgive him just yet. What he said really hurt me, and he needs to realise that. The journey back home took about 10 minutes by car, my heart dropping when Harry's black range rover came into view. Maybe if I was quiet enough, I could slip in and out without him noticing. Gently pushing the key into the lock, I was forced to put all of my weight against the door, it not opening as easily as usual. Once I was finally in the house, I gasped at what I saw before me. The table that usually sat in front of the bigger sofa in my living room was now in pieces, the piles of wood blocking the front door. Components of the landline that sat on a shelf in the hallway were now scattered all over the floor, the shelf ending up in the same fate as the table. Pieces of broken china that resembled plates and cups joined these on the floor. 

"Jesus, Harry." My words came out in a whisper; I was taken aback at the damage caused in such a small amount of time. When I left, the house was almost spotless. Now it was completely the opposite. I walked around, being careful not to stand on any broken glass or whatever. Soft whimpers could be heard from Harry's room, so I quietly opened the door and stood in the doorway, watching what was going on. I don't think I've ever seen Harry in such a vulnerable state, to be honest I wouldn't be surprised if no one had ever seen Harry the way he was before. His room was in almost the same state the hallway was, clothes all over the place, one of his bedside tables broken up all in the floor. The bit that shocked me the most was what was on the bed. Tangled up in the sheets was Harry, curled up as small as he could make himself (which was probably quite difficult considering his size) and sobbing into his phone. I didn’t know what it was that was stopping me from going over there to comfort him. 

"Pepper?" I'd been caught, the creak of the door as I moved slightly giving me away. Harry sat up, allowing me to see the full boy. "Pepper, I'm sorry." His eyes were puffy and red still, even more than they had been previously. He looked like he hadn't showered or changed in days, he even smelt like he hadn't showered in days. Was he really in this state jut because we got in an argument?

"What have you done to yourself, Harry?" I sighed, running my fingers through hair as I tried to think of a way to handle all of this. 

"I.. I just got angry. I was angry with myself, so angry at what I said. I didn't mean it and I regretted it as soon as I said it, I swear. Please forgive me, Pepper. I really am so so sorry for what I said. I know you're not a slut, I would never even think about such a thing. You're perfect and I can't not be with you." I didn't know what to say, his rambling pleads running around in my head. I was starting to believe him when he said he couldn't be with me… if he was like this because of 3 days then I dread to think of the outcome of a breakup. I hadn't realised Harry was moving when he was talking, his close proximity startling me when I snapped out of my thoughts. "Please, Pepper. I love you. I'm so sorry." I gasped, neither of us speaking of those words until now. He knew how much I thought about the phrase, a conversation between us late one night explaining to him of past experiences. He knew I wanted to make sure about things between us before I spoke about 'love'. But the strange thing was, I felt the need to reciprocate the words. Feelings I had towards that one boy had increasingly grown recently, our disagreement shielding them for a short while, but I still felt them. I couldn't hold back anymore. Closing the distance between us, I forcefully pushed my lips to his, not hesitating to tug at his curls with my fingers. Obviously not prepared for the sudden affection, Harry froze at first, but quickly got into the movement, lifting me up by my thighs and pinning me to the wall. The feeling of his smile against my kiss told me he knew I had almost forgiven him. "I love you." He mumbled against my mouth. I pulled away reluctantly, leaving my forehead resting against his.

"I love you too" I whispered, rewarding Harry with a quick peck to his lips. "But promise me to never say what you did ever again. Next time, I might not be so forgiving. You hurt me Harry." I was stern with my words; his kiss attempting to strengthen his apology. 

"I know, and I'm so sorry. I promise." He smiled as I kissed away the few remaining tears on his cheeks. 

"And let me pay for myself sometimes, I like it." 

"But I like to treat you; it makes me feel like I'm doing something right in our relationship." 

"Harry." I warned him, not pleased with the fact that he thought that was all he brought to 'us'.

"Fine." He pouted, letting me kiss him again. 

"Anyway, you bring more than money to this relationship. You bring the sexy, the dimples, the curls…" I stated, kissing parts of Harry's body as I said them. I wanted to reassure Harry of his part on my life now. "And you bring the male…" I smirked glancing down so Harry would understand me. 

"But you're sexy, and your hair is curly when you've just got out of the shower, and you have dimples!" I narrowed my eyes at the boy. "But I don't think you have a… ya know… unless there's something you haven't told me." My narrowed eyes widened, playfully slapping his arm at his words. 

"Just accept the compliment. And no, there isn’t something I haven't told you." He chuckled, pressing his lips to mine again. He was so forceful, pushing my head back against the wall. Breathless, I pushed him away with my hands on his shoulders, jumping down from his hold. Sticking his bottom lip out again, it was obvious he wasn't pleased with my actions. 

"Go have a shower and I'll tidy this place up a bit. You smell." He laughed again, waving his arm in the air so I could get the full stench coming from his armpit. It wasn't good. I shoved him away playfully but he caught my hips and brought me to him, kissing me again. 

"Only if you come back home tonight." 

"Go have a shower, Harry."

"Is that a yes?" The raise of his eyebrow made me smile, the inquisitive look on his face adorable. 

"Yes! Now go!" I shoved him away, hoping he would finally do as I asked. He turned, jogging down the hall before reappearing in front of the bedroom. 

"Leave everything; I'll sort it all out when I get out of the shower. Which you're welcome to join if you wish…" He grinned, knowing his words would make me blush.

"HARRY!"

"I'm going, I'm going." His laugh replicated mine as he finally made it to the bathroom. "The door's unlocked if you change your mind!" I groaned, knowing that Harry would have a smug look on his face without even having to look at him.

"HARRY!" I shouted one last time, making sure I could hear the shower running before turning to do the job that I planned. Mentally reminding myself to text Josh to let him know I would be staying here tonight, I started clearing up Harry's mess, purposely ignoring Harry's orders not to do so.


	5. Say Goodbye.

"C'mon Babe! You’re leaving tomorrow, come out with us." 

"I'm not in the mood, Harry. Go have fun with the boys; I'll still be here when you get back." Harry just wasn't giving up, the same conversation starting about 20 minutes prior. 

"Pleeaaassseeeee! It won't be the same without you there." Harry's pleads were ringing upon deaf ears, right until he pulled me by the waist, our bodies so close that only our clothes were between us. Delicate pecks were placed upon my jaw, right up to my ear. "I love you." I smiled, knowing he was using those words in persuasion. My hands travelled to his neck as he tried to use his lips to strengthen his argument. 

"I love you too." He smiled against my lips, fingertips pressing deeper into my hips as he kissed me harder. I placed a hand on his chest, increasing the distance between our bodies slightly. "But I'm still not coming out with you." I smiled, pecking Harry's lips one last time before turning around to continue with what I was doing before Harry's interruption. 

"Noooo." Harry whined before wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. "I'm just gonna have to change your mind then, aren't I." 

"Harry." I warned, but it was no use. Harry had already flipped me onto his shoulder and thrown me down onto the bed. 

"So, we can do this the easy way… or the hard way." I laughed as he hovered over me, pinning my body to the bed. "You can say that you're coming out with me and the boys…" His breathe tickled the skin of my neck, making my body tense beneath the boy. The feeling of his lips turning upwards told me he knew the affect he was having on me. "Or I'll have to take matters into my own hands." 

Teeth nipped at my skin, my hands finding their way to the hem of his t-shirt. As he blew his air over my skin, forming goose bumps, I knew I couldn't wait any longer. Harry's t-shirt was lifted swiftly above his head, his lips pressing a forceful kiss onto mine as soon as he was shirtless. His hips descended onto mine, all of his weight on his forearms beside my head. I gasped, my breath caught in Harry's mouth, when I felt the large bulge pressing onto my right thigh. He chuckled, knowing what I was thinking about.

"That's how much I want you right now." My teeth tugged hard on his bottom lip as Harry moaned, slowly grinding his hips into mine again. 

"Pepper." He breathed, tugging at my top. A small nod of my head gave him the permission he needed, my t-shirt landing on top of his on the floor. Our lips reattached almost instantly, my legs hooking around Harry's waist in the process. He hummed against my mouth as I wound my fingers in his curls, tugging gently as his tongue fought mine. His strength over powered mine when I tried to pull him back down to me, his lips leaving mine momentarily. He gazed down on me, bringing his bottom lip between his teeth.

"You're so fucking beautiful." His harsh tone made the words sound so much sexier; his body lowering as he sprinkled delicate kisses to my exposed chest, right up to the edges of my bra. 

"I'll come with you." I knew I had to say something before anything else happened. I didn't know if I was ready for that just yet, especially with the fact that in 24 hours we wouldn't be seeing each other for 16 weeks. "One drink though, that's it." He frowned, as though he was upset with my words. 

"I don't want to go out anymore. I'm quite happy here… on top of you." He smiled at the last words, knowing it would provoke the reaction it did, a slap across his arm. 

"Come on, I wanna say goodbye to the boys properly. One drink." 

"One drink." I kissed him one more time, before shuffling from underneath him and running to the bathroom.

"I call showering first." I laughed to myself, knowing that because I had already turned the lock that he wouldn't be able to fight me off.

"Why don't I just join you?" 

"Piss off, Harry."

 

***

 

We stayed true to our word. One drink, a laugh with the boys and the rest of the team, which mainly consisted of stupid stories of my time with them as well as them taking the piss out of me, but I still loved them. Harry made it very clear to me he didn't want to be there, his constant attempts at stroking my thigh and grabbing my bum telling me he would rather be at home continuing our earlier activities. And that's exactly what we were doing right now. My hands struggling to undo Harry's jacket as he kicked the front door shut, a single hand being taken from under my thighs to slide the chain across. His lips were forced back against mine as soon as his task was completed, pushing my body onto the new cabinet in the hallway , which held the new landline, so he could rid me of my coat with ease. Well, I guess I'll have to buy Harry yet another new phone for his house, the one that had been bought only a few weeks prior ending up with the same fate as its ancestor. 

This wasn't supposed to happen. I was truthful when saying I didn't think I was ready, the long distance that was going to be between us for the next few months almost creating a barrier against anything of this nature in my mind. It was only a gentle kiss, shared between us as Harry pulled up outside the house, that led to this, neither of us wanting to part lips. Harry even picked me up and carried me out of his car door so he wouldn't have to stop kissing me. "Stay with me." The words spilt from my parted lips, Harry's teeth nipping at my neck as he unbuttoned my shirt as quickly as he could. 

"Forever." Harry's breathy whisper sent shivers down spine, the clothing being thrown off my shoulders before Harry scooped me back up under my thighs.

"Don't forget about me when I'm gone." Harry didn't seem fazed by this little conversation, his moving lips contrasting my still ones because of my thoughts. 

"Pepper. I love you. You're on my mind every second of every day. I'm not going to forget about you. I promise." My eyes were fixed in Harry's above me, his arms letting my drop to the soft confines of his sheets as he spoke. My grin matched his, spread further across my face as I jabbed the indent in his cheek. He batted my hand away playfully, leaning down to push his lips onto mine. 

"I love you too." Swiftly removing his shirt from his torso, my hands traced patterns across Harry's bare back, occasionally scratching with my nails as Harry peeled my jeans off of my legs, lips still moving in sync. His hands stroking up my legs as he made his way to the button of his jeans, but I couldn't leave him to do it all by himself. Using my feet as an aid, Harry's jeans joined mine on the floor, a smirk on both of our mouths. I knew what was coming, but that didn't stop a gasp from escaping when Harry hooked his fingers under the band of my underwear.

"It's alright." He stopped his movements, sitting up on his calves to look at me. "I'm not going to do anything if you don't want me to." His hands moved from my underwear, holding up his weight either side of my head as he leant down, lips brushing. "I'm not going to fuck this up again." 

His whisper made my heart flutter, the words holding so much meaning to me. Short pecks were dotted all over my face making me laugh, Harry's smile being felt against my skin. I stretched my arms out to the side, finding Harry's hands and sliding my fingers between his. He sat back on his legs once again, eyes fixed on mine as I moved Harry's hands around, kissing each finger as I played about with them in my hands. I found his hands fascinating, had done since the very first day I met him. I would always find him watching me whenever I would play with them, almost as if he found what I did amusing. His whole body tensing around my legs when I moved his hands back down to the band of my underwear was noticeable. My confident look didn't falter, a smile on my lips as I drew circles on the back of Harry's hands with my thumbs. 

"Are you sure?" It amazed me that Harry was all up for this less than a minute ago, and one little gasp from my lips completely changed his view on the activity. I nodded, using all of my force to tug Harry back down to me, planting a heavy kiss on his lips. Desperate for his touch. "I'll be gentle, Pepper." I smiled up at him as he leant over me to the bedside table, a chuckle escaping his lips as I pressed a kiss to the underside of his arm. Digging around in the drawer, a silver packet was held between his fingers. Harry smiled at my briefly, gently kissing my pouted lips before adding the contraception to his body.

 

Sex with Harry was nothing like I imagined. What I had expected to sharp, quick thrusts were slow and pleasurable. He even waited before moving his hips, giving me a chance to adjust to his size before starting. Kisses were pressed to my lips in attempt to distract me from the initial pain, but once that had disappeared, I began to enjoy it as much as Harry obviously was. I pushed back the damp curls that had stuck to his forehead, sweat dripping down his chest as I dragged my nails across his back. My back arched as I felt myself reaching my high, the profanities spilling from Harry's mouth telling me he was in the same predicament. One particular deep thrust caused me to go over the edge, crying out in pleasure as Harry hit just the right spot for me to let myself go. The feeling inside of me told me Harry had to, his thrusts from then on slowing even further and becoming sloppy. Once he had regained enough energy, he rolled off of me and layed beside me. The sheet Harry had pulled over us before we started had become tangled with our naked bodies. I rolled onto my stomach, head facing Harry as he lay on his back, panting heavily. 

"I can't believe you just gave me that and are going to leave me on my own for 4 months." His head fell to face me, smile large on his face. "I'm going to be so sexually frustrated it's unreal." 

"But it means when you come back, it will mean more to you." I pushed myself up onto my elbows, hovering over Harry and placing a gentle kiss on his nose. His eyes drooped, head rising up from the pillows to meet my lips before falling back down. 

"Let's sleep, Beautiful. We've got a big day tomorrow." I nodded, rolling over to face away from him, his arm taking its usual place over my waist and pulling me into his body. I could feel his lips behind my ear. "Unless you fancy round 2? Because I'm all up for that."

I knew that a smug grin would be plastered across his lips as I chuckled.

"Good night Harry."

 

***

 

I sat with Harry and the boys in their dressing room backstage at the arena. I didn't have any work left to do, everything else was down to my uncle seeing as he was back and had no further need to me on tour. I had been offered a job as secondary sound engineer (a posh name for my uncle's assistant) but I declined, knowing there was other work back at home that I could be doing. Uncle David even offered to not go back to his job until the tour was over, allowing me to do the time that was originally planned for me, but I didn't accept that either. That would be stealing my uncle's job from him, and I couldn't do that. He had worked too hard to get to where he was.

The boy's support acts were currently on stage, doing their pre-tour sound check before the first show tomorrow. Harry and the other boys had refused to let me leave until they were done even though I didn't' have anything to do, saying they all wanted to be with me for as long as possible. 

It is extraordinary the relationships I had created with the whole crew in 2 months, the ones built with One Direction and their band being the strongest. Harry's fingers ran through my hair, my body resting between his legs as we sat on a sofa playing Uno with the other boys. Josh, Sandy, Jon and Dan had had to go work on stage for a bit, so it was just the 6 of us, Harry insisting to be on my team as we played. 

"Go for the blue 7 next." His whispers sent shivers down my spine but I quickly shook them away to place the card on the table.

"Uno."

"How do you always win?!" Zayn shouted, throwing his pile of cards on the floor as he stormed over to the fridge. He always was the sorest loser. 

"They're ninjas, Zayn. You should know that by now." Niall chuckled, following the boy towards the food source. I smiled at their conversation, turning my head slightly to have my lips caught in Harry's. It took my completely by surprise, having to put my arms out behind me to stop myself from falling over the edge of the sofa. But I failed, Harry's arm catching my waist before I fell backwards onto the floor. I clutched onto his shirt, pulling myself back up to meet him.

"Are you finished?" Harry just chuckled at my 'near death' experience. I bit his nose softly in response, and he pretended to be in pain even though I knew he wasn't. Our gazes locked, the laughter dying instantly between us. Harry leant down slowly, as if he was testing me to see if I would pull back, or challenging me to see if I would close the gap between our lips. A smirk played on his lips as he saw my head move at the same pace as his. We were interrupted when our lips were barely a centimetre apart, a click causing our heads to turn towards the sound. Liam and Louis were looking straight at us, a mixture of innocence and guilt spreading across both of their faces. I was about to question their expressions when I noticed Liam's phone in his hand, and I knew exactly what they had been doing.

"Give me that phone right now, Liam." I jumped out of Harry's grip, but Liam was too quick, jumping over the back of his own sofa before I could even get past the table. When I finally caught up to him, I launched myself onto his back, my ankles locked around his waist as I reached forward to attempt to grasp the phone out of his hands.

"Lou, catch." The phone was thrown to Liam's band mate, his arms wrapping around me to prevent me from getting down. All the while, Harry lent against the counter, one foot crossed over the opposite ankle as he took bites out of an apple. He made no attempt to help me in my quest, instead laughing at my actions. 

"Thanks for the help here, Harry. Couldn’t do this without you." Sarcasm dripped from my mouth as I bit down on Liam's neck. Not in a sensual way, but in such force that his grip would leave my body to help soothe the pain. 

"You're welcome, Beautiful." A cheeky wink was given before Harry directed his words to Louis.

"Here, g'is it." He held out his free hand to catch Liam's phone, continuing to take bites from his apple as he scrolled through what I presumed to be the pictures Liam and Louis had just taken of us. I scowled at him, lifting myself up onto the counter beside him. I peered over his shoulder, taking a look at the screen. 

"Some of these are actually really cute." Harry whispered so only I would be able to hear his soppy remark. I pushed him away, him chuckling as I did so.

"I hate you, Liam." I walked off as both he and Louis tried to tackle me in a hug, my best shot at trying to seem pissed off at them. They all knew of my pure hatred to taking unexpected pictures. I can’t deny, some of the shots of me and Harry did make us look like a perfect couple, but that didn’t take away the fact that Liam and Louis went against one of my unwritten rules. 

"You love us really." Louis said, both he and Liam wrapping their arms around my side as Louis wetly kissed my cheek.

 

***

 

"Alright boys, you're good for today. See you for the show tomorrow." Cheers came from all of the boys, all except Harry. I had said my goodbyes to most of the crew, along with Josh, Jon, Sandy and Dan, whilst the boys were doing the technical run through for tomorrow. Harry came over, arms circling my waist as he brought me into his chest. 

"What can I do to make you stay? To make you come on tour with us? You know there's always a job here. Everyone loves you." 

"You know I have to go Harry." It seemed silent around us, like nobody else was in the room. I tightened my grip around Harry's neck. "Maybe some time apart will do us some good, anyway." 

I was pushed away, tears brimming in Harry's eyes as he held me away from him. "Wait, what? Are you breaking up with me?! Please, Pepper. Don’t say you breaking up with me." 

I was shocked at Harry's sudden outburst, realising that the way I had said things made Harry's worries seem reasonable. 

"No! Harry, I'm not breaking up with you." Harry's features softened, the tears in his eyes falling down his cheeks as he tried to process his words. "I'm just saying, we were kinda forced upon each other. We've been living together since the day we met, don't you think we just need a bit of time on our own for a little while."

"But I don't want some time on my own. I want to be with you every second of every day for the rest of my life, Pepper. I love you. Can you not see that?" 

"I know you do Harry. C'mon, let me go say bye to the boys and then we can go."

"I'll be in the car." Harry's reply was blunt, almost harsh, as he pushed past me and slammed the door open. I knew he was upset, but it wasn't like I wasn't going to see him ever again. There was no need for all of this anger.

I turned to find every pair of eyes in the room on me. I forced a smile, trying to make my last few moments with everyone for a while the best. 

 

I ran to jump on Liam's back, him obviously not expecting the sudden impact as he grasped the underside of my thighs, a grunt leaving his mouth. Everybody else had gone back to their previous conversations.

"I'm gonna miss you, Li." I smiled into his neck, placing a massive, sloppy kiss there. He groaned trying to wipe the saliva away with his shoulder, but failing miserably. 

"Be good, yeah." I grinned, knowing he was referring to the many times I had been roped into pranking him by the boys. Liam hated them, but was all up for pranks when the target was another member of the crew. 

"When am I ever not good, Liam?" I could see his eyebrow arch in disbelief. I jumped down, gave him a quick but tight hug, and went to plan how to shock the other three. 

 

I crept up behind Niall, a finger pushed to my lips to tell the person Niall was talking to not to voice my presence. As soon as I got close enough, I directed my fingers to Niall's sides, pushing into his skin. What I can only describe as the most high-pitched scream that has ever been made by a man came from Niall's mouth. He squirmed out of my hold as I fell to the floor, laughter uncontrollable. 

"I'm never talking to you ever again." Niall stated once I had regained myself. He knew I knew where his weak spots were, and I knew he hated it when I used them to my advantage. 

"That's never gonna happen, Niall. We both know you love my cooking too much to stop talking to me." He pouted, knowing my argument was true, and ran back over to me, squeezing my into a tight hug. 

 

I moved onto Zayn, walking into his open arms. 

"I love how out of everyone here, you're the most normal, yet you're still totally insane." I mumbled into his chest. Pulling away, I found him using a couple of strands of my hair as a pretend moustache against his lips. I grinned, my point being proven. 

"I'm gonna miss you, Pep." Zayn put on an over-dramatic sad face, pretending to cry in the process. 

"You were the life and soul this place, and nothing's ever gonna be the same without you." His over-dramatic face and voice was still there as I raised an eyebrow at him, causing us both to break out into laughter. Zayn pulled me into another hug, my lips quickly pressing to my cheek as I pulled back. 

 

For the first time today, it wasn't me to be saying goodbye. Instead of just walking over to me normally, Louis decided to be unique, running towards me and knocking me flat out. He landed on top of me, earning a loud grunt from the both of us. 

"Don't leave us Pepper!"

I giggled, lifting Louis head to face me from being pressed against my chest. 

"I'll miss you too, Lou."

"Of course you'll miss me, everyone misses me." A wide grin spread across Louis' face, almost ear to ear. He stood up off of me, holding out his hand to help me up. As soon as I was on my feet, Louis arms wrapped around my waist, lifting me off of the ground slightly; my cheek pressed to his as I whispered in his ear. 

"Look after him for me, Lou. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, please." 

"Of course." Tightening my grip on his neck, I gave him a quick peck on the cheek before him and Niall lead me outside to an awaiting Harry. 

 

It was only at this moment when the tears started to fall, realisation that I wouldn’t be seeing the people who had become my family, who I had spent basically every waking moment with, for another 4 months finally dawning on me. Harry stayed in the car as I said my final goodbye to the boys, unlocking the door as I reached it. 

"Be good. Don’t kill anyone. Don’t kill yourselves. Do amazing tomorrow night and at all your other shows, yeah?"

"Yes mum."

I scowled at the boys, but couldn’t help but laugh when I realised some of my final words did sound like those of a nagging mother.

"And look after Harry, for me."

"Only if you come back soon, Pepper. Just because you're with Harry doesn't mean we all haven't learnt to love you." 

Wise words from the Irish one, as Harry would often say.

"Niall, you don't have to learn to love me. My loveable-ness comes naturally." I grinned and hooked my arms around both of the boys' necks, kissing their cheeks in turn. 

"I really am gonna miss you guys."

"Go. Harry's waiting." Louis kissed my cheek gently as he spoke, Niall following as they both pulled away. 

"I'm gonna Skype you all every night."

"Don't make me carry you into that car, Pepper."

I turned, taking those few steps to the car door, before spinning back around.

"Tell everybody I'm gonna miss them and I love them."

"Pepper!" Their voices were stern as they spoke in unison. I put my hands up in surrender, sliding into the car and waving at the boys one last time before they walked away.

When I turned around, Harry's eyes refused to meet mine. As I slid my hand to meet his, I look at him all over. His face looks dead straight out of the windscreen; eyes look as though they are focused on something that isn't even there. Tear stains can be seen upon his cheeks; he has obviously been crying, but there are no tears currently falling. One hand keeps a tight grip on the steering wheel, knuckles white with the pressure he is applying to the plastic. The other is poised upon the key in the ignition, as though he is just about to turn on the engine. I pry his hand away from the steering wheel, sliding my fingers between his and squeezing gently as I bring them to my lips. 

"Harry. I love you."

"Then why are you leaving me?!" His words make me jump, the anger laced in them mixed with the sudden noise. 

"Please, Harry. Don't start. You know I have to." I sigh, dropping our entwined hands to my lap. Harry quickly realises the position of them and pulls his away, the actions leaving me hurt slightly. 

"No. You don't have to. You've been offered more than one job to stay with us on tour. You're good at your job, and everybody loves you here. Yet you still choose to spend 4 months without me instead of with me. So no Pepper, you don't have to leave." His eyes burned into me, his anger shown through both his voice and his facial expressions. He sighed, turning back to the position he was previously in and running his hands through his hair.

"What if was the other way round? What if I hadn't been offered a second job? You would still have to go on tour and I wouldn’t be in a position to ask you to stay. I'd have to learn to live without you for a while, so why can't you do the same?!" It was my turn to get pissed off now. He had no right to be acting the way he was.

"That's different."

"No it's not. You're going to be busy with the boys, and I've got stuff to do back home. It's not like we're breaking up, is it?" Harry didn't reply, instead glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. I think he thought I wouldn't notice. Well, he was wrong.

"Just drive me home."

 

***

 

I don't know when I fell asleep but when I woke up I had the worst ache in my neck ever. I rubbed my eyes, stretching my back a bit before sitting up straight in my chair. A crash as I moved told me that my phone had fallen down the side of my seat.

Harry was driving in silence and waited until I had fully woken up before reaching out to rest his hand on my thigh, like he always would whenever we were in a car together. We hadn't spoken before I fell asleep, not making any contact with each other at all, so this surprised me. 

"Have you calmed down now?" 

"Yeah. I'm sorry I over-reacted. I just love you so much and I'm finding it hard to come to terms with the fact I'm gonna have to live without touching you or kissing you for four months." I accepted his apology, showing my acceptance by sliding my hand in his. 

The rest of the journey wasn't long, only about 20 minutes of so, and neither of us spoke. I didn’t know what to say, so instead showed my love for the boy by placing delicate kisses all over his hands and playing with his fingers like I always would.

 

Neither of us made an effort to move when Harry pulled up opposite my house. I smiled slightly when I saw my small, grey car sitting in the drive way- it had been a while since I had driven that thing- and made a mental note to thank Uncle David for driving it back from London for me. A miniscule sigh of relief left my lips when I realised none of the other cars that our family owned were in the driveway, knowing that I would have some time on my own to grieve the separation of me and my boyfriend. It would be such a shock to the system, having had Harry there beside me at almost every moment of the day to having our only option to talk to him being through a screen. It was going to be hard. 

I was snapped back from my thoughts by Harry's voice.

"Pepper?" I focused my eyes to him, surprised that he was standing next to the opened passenger door with his hand held out for me, instead of sitting beside me like he was. The look on his face told me everything, his voice being normal but his eyes showing his true expression. They were cold, empty. As if their usual colour never existed. As if there was nothing going on behind them.

"Are you coming?

"Uh, I… yeah." My voice was timid as I took hold of Harry's hand as an aid to exit his car. That contact was immediately dropped; his moving to the small of my back as he guided me up the path to the front door, mine frantically searching through my bag for my front door keys. I stuck them in the key hole, turning to face Harry before I entered the house. 

"So…"

"Goodbye, Pepper." Harry's lips pressed to mine, no movement involved. Just 3 seconds of contact between us. I attempted to deepen the kiss, but he brought my hand back down to my side when I tried to take hold of his neck. I even tried to bring him in for another kiss when he pulled away, but he had turned and walked away before I could do so. 

Was that it? We weren't going to see each other in person for 123 days and that was it? He had been so upset less than 5 hours before at my choice to not stay with him, and a measly peck was what we had left it on?

"Harry?" My voice cracked as I questioned Harry's actions, tears almost falling from my cheeks as he turned to my voice. He stood at the end of the path, face changing expressions probably a thousand times in less than a second. It looked as though he was questioning himself. 

After what seemed like a lifetime, but in reality was only around 10 seconds, he sprinted towards me. Hands cupped my face as he forced his lips to mine, no hesitation in the addition of passion and love. My fingers locked around his neck, his moving down to my waist to pull my body closer. The kiss slowed, oxygen entering our body when our mouths parted occasionally. Lips brushed continuously, foreheads pressed together.

"Why did I have to fall so goddamn in love with you, eh?" A chuckle fell from Harry's mouth as he spoke. I left him to answer the question himself as I pushed my lips back onto his. 

"If I don't leave now, I don’t think I ever will." I nodded, understanding of his situation. All of my want to have Harry to stay with me had to be pushed aside. I couldn't make him cancel the tour for my own needs. As I ran my hands down his arms, a thought flashed through my mind. What if I took the job offer? It meant I could stay with Harry, we could be together still. But then I remembered the job I already had lined up for me. I couldn’t cancel on them at such short notice. 

So many things I couldn’t do.

"I really do love you, Pepper. Nothing will ever change that." I reciprocated his words, kissing him one final time before he left again to his car. My body stayed frozen, watching him as his eyes never left mine whilst he entered his car. I watched him drive out of sight.

 

"I love you." I whispered. Nobody was around so no one could hear me, but I didn’t care. I turned on my feet, falling through the newly opened door and fell to the floor in the hallway. My knees came to my chest, and I cried. 123 days to go.


	6. 97 Days.

"Jack is so bad at this. He thinks it's acceptable to have a green rug in a pink based room." Emma was shaking her head in disappointment of her boyfriend. Our conversation had moved onto our boyfriends' bad interior design choices, with both Nikki and Emma recently having moved in with their partners, as we waited for the Yr7's to come back on stage after the interval.

"What about you, Pepper? What's your new fella like?" I'd stayed quiet up until this point, not making any remarks about my boyfriend. I hadn't told anyone who I was dating, my family only finding out by chance, and even then I swore them to secrecy. But I liked it that way, keeping our relationship a bit more personal and out of the public eye.

"He's not bad, I suppose. His flat's actually quite stylish." The vintage tweak of his flat made it suit him really well. One of the reasons I really enjoyed the staying at his for as long as I did.

"Come on, tell us more about him! What's his name?" Being the youngest out of the three, I had sort of become the younger sister. Nikki and Emma always trying to get the latest gossip of my love life ever since we first met 3 years ago. I could trust them. 

"Harry." The girls gasped. I think they had just figured out who he was. The girls had known I had joined the last leg of the tour with the boys, filling in for my uncle when he had to go away from a while. That's how we met.

"Na, you're joking right?" I shook my head shyly in reply. To be honest, I couldn't really believe it myself.

"Don't believe you." I knew they were joking, just trying to get some proof from me. I reached into my butt pocket, routinely unlocking my phone to show the girls my background. It was a picture of the day of my last day, me and the boys lounging around in their dressing room a good couple of hours before I had to leave. The boys had taken me under their wing, our similar ages enabling us to get along pretty well. Liam had begun to act like my older brother, becoming very protective over me. I think he was under strict instructions from my uncle to look after me, as was the rest of the team. Liam was the one that went a bit crazy when Harry first asked me out, along with Josh, but they soon started to accept us when they realised Harry cared for me. That was when they're attitudes completely changed about us, considering the first time I met Harry, they were the ones trying to make him look like a complete twat.

The picture was of Harry lying on a sofa, my body placed in between his legs and laying back against his chest. Our fingers were entwined, me finding my usual obsession to be playing with their abnormal length, and Harry's lips were pressed against my head. I had scolded Liam for taking it at the time, feeling my privacy violated slightly. But I found it unable to stay mad at him for long and had quickly learnt to love the picture. Their mouths dropped when I showed them the photo, but Emma still wasn't persuaded.

"That could be anyone." Her stubborn nature allowed me to expect a response like this, previous encounters I would be telling her for days until she fully believed me. I chuckled, Nikki playfully slapping the girl on her arm.

"I'll call him if you really want me to." I cocked my eyebrow, testing my friend.

"Go on then." Her reply was teasing, arms crossing against her chest as she challenged me. I flashed my eyes to the clock on the wall. I had 10 minutes until the interval ended. I'd have to be quick and pray that Harry wasn't busy at that moment. I set my phone on the desk, pressing the key that was speed dial to Harry's number. It began to ring, a small giggle leaving my mouth at the sight of Harry's contact picture, the face that he pulled to always make me laugh. 7 rings later and I thought he wasn't going to answer, moving my finger to end the call.

"Hey, Beautiful. Sorry I took so long to answer; Lou stole my phone and was teasing me." A large smile spread across me face at his voice, a small laugh leaving my mouth at Louis' typical behaviour. "I thought you weren't done until later?" Emma and Nikki's jaws falling even lower to the ground having heard Harry on the phone.

"Yeah um, there are just some people here that wanted to hear your voice... To know it was you." I picked up the phone, returning the volume to normal from speaker phone as I walked out of the booth to the balcony, leaving my friends in shock.

"You bragging about me?" Harry chuckled; I could tell he had a grin plastered on his face.

"Pfft you wish," I teased, "They just wanted to hear your voice"

"I miss you." Harry's words changed the atmosphere of the conversation immediately, my back sliding against the wall to sit on the floor. "How long is it now?"

"97 days." I kept a reminder on my phone, telling me everyday how long it would be until Harry had finished this tour and I could see him again.

"I don't want to wait that long, Baby. It's only been 4 weeks and I miss you like crazy." The day Uncle David returned to his job and I had to leave was very emotional, not only for me but most of the crew as well. I had produced such a bond with everybody that it was very emotional, more than a few tears being shed. Harry insisted on driving me home, a long and passionate kiss being shared between us before he reluctantly pulled away and drove back, knowing he would never leave if he stayed any longer.

"I miss you too." A knock on the booth door told me I had to end my call soon, the 2nd act of the drama production almost beginning. "Harry, I have to go." The hint of sadness in my voice amplified my reluctance to hanging up on the boy.

"Okay, well I've got 2 days off next week before we fly, but I have to help my mum with something back home. I hope you don't mind? You know I'd be with you if I could..." Harry's voice trailed off at the end, his voice already getting quieter as he entered what I presumed to by the rehearsal studio as Niall's thick accent shone done the phone.

"Harry stop flirting with your girlfriend and come dance with me." I chuckled when Niall emphasised girlfriend, knowing full well the boys still teased Harry because of our relationship.

"Babe I have to go too, are you sure you're okay with me not coming down next week? Mum sort of guilted me into helping."

"It's fine Harry, now go. I think Niall is missing his dance partner." I grinned as Harry deeply laughed at my words. "Do you still want me to call tonight or shall I leave it until tomorrow?"

"Call me tonight, beautiful. I still want to hear your pretty v-" The line was cut off; my presumptions were that one of the boys had stolen his phone before he could finish. Nothing new there then.

 

***

 

The next week felt longer than usual, the days seeming to go on for hours. I feel a little bit down that Harry couldn't come down to see me, but I had signed up to this kind of lifestyle when I accepted his offer to be his girlfriend, and I couldn't really deny him seeing his mum. My mood did cheer up a little when Louis sent me a picture of Harry keeping a tight hold of an unwilling Zayn as he slept.

From: LOUIS AKA SEX GOD

Someone's missing his cuddle (fuck) buddy :D

Trust Lou to say something like that, but I had to admit Harry looked super cute in the picture. I couldn't bring myself to change the boys' names on my phone, their immaturity (well Louis and Niall's) reminding me of the amazing times I'd spent with them. So from now until probably forever, Louis is LOUIS AKA SEX GOD and Niall shall be known as MY ARSE IS PRETTIER THAN YOURS. I locked my front door behind me, kicking off my shoes and trailing into the kitchen to get a drink. My arms fisted the sink tap open to fill a glass with water when a strong pair of arms wrapped around my waist. Instantly dropping the glass, I swung my right fist around to the intruders gut, exactly like I had been taught to since a young age. I gasped when I saw who it was lying on the floor, bent over in pain.

"Jesus Harry, you scared the life out of me!" I slid to the floor to comfort my boyfriend, unpeeling his hands from his stomach and using my lips to try and kiss the pain away.

"You've got a great right hook on you there! Surprise by the way." Harry continued to groan through his words, my surprise that I had actually caused him harm through his toned abs was massive.

"I'm sorry; I didn't know it was you! I thought you were going to your mum's... What are you doing here?" Harry sat up from being sprawled out on the tiled floor, picking me up by my hips to sit on his lap. His lips immediately forced themselves to mine, hungrily begging for entrance. I couldn't deny him. I had missed this, his lips, his touch, far too much. And a month wasn't really even a long time compared to what I had to come. Once he finally pulled away due to lack of oxygen, he rested his forehead against mine, hands pressed tightly against my back as he pushed me as close to him as possible. He spoke before rewarding me with a second passionate kiss.

 

"97 days is too long"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (this was the first part I wrote, from which I decided to extend the story. this is why there might be some parts that cross over with other parts of the story.)


	7. Disguised.

Hitting my knuckles against the familiar black door, I pulled my jacket closer around my body. Despite the heat, the breeze was still quite strong at this hour of the morning, hence why I was wearing a long jacket that went past my shorts. The door swung open, revealing the beautiful face I was planning on spending the day with.

"Hello, Beautiful."

I grinned, Harry pulling me into the house quickly by my wrist. The front door was closed swiftly behind me, my body being pressed against it by Harry's. There wasn't a moment wasted before Harry's lips were against mine, my fingers naturally winding into his hair as his hands held my body as close to his as possible from the small of my back. Harry's groans vibrated through my mouth as I forced him to answer his ringing phone by pressing it to his ear.

"You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that, and some idiot has to go ruin it." 

I pecked Harry's pouted lip, laughing at his words as he rested his forehead against mine.

"Yeah… Why?!... But it's my day off!... Do I have to?... Fine… I am pissed, you got that right… Fine… Bye." Harry groaned, slipping his phone into his back pocket before kissing me again.

"Go." 

"I don't want to. Today was meant to be just us." 

I pushed Harry away from me by his shoulders, unhooking his coat from the stand next to me and holding it out for him. 

"Go. I'll still be here when you get back." He pouted, pecking my lips and shrugging his coat on over his shoulders.

"Two hours tops. I love you, you know that?" We kissed once more before he ran out of the door to his car.

"I know."

I sighed, locking the door behind me as I decided what to do for the next couple of hours. Mindlessly, I found myself kicking off my shoes at the door to Harry's bedroom at settling down in the middle of his bed. I dug through my bag, drawing out my phone and a book I had brought with me before continuing to search for my headphones. Once found and spending a good three minutes untangling them, I plugged myself into my music, blocking out the rest of the world as I lost myself in the book. A bit of We The Kings can't do any harm. 

 

***

 

I jumped slightly at the impact on my bare leg. I didn’t have to look up from my book to know who it was, even though the music playing through my ears had prevented me from hearing the door opening. A smile crept onto my face as the hand raised itself higher up my leg, but soon turned into a frown as I realised what was happening. 

"Nope. I have 34 pages left. I am not doing anything until I have finished this book." I tugged my earphones from my head, pressing pause on the new Imagine Dragons song that was currently playing. 

"C'mon, Baby." I checked the page number before allowing the book to fall to my stomach, seeing the pouting boy in front of me. "I've had to go through 2 hours of the same 29 seconds of a song, and all that's been getting me through is the thought that I had you to come back to." 

I cocked my eyebrow at Harry, his attempts to stick his bottom lip out even further making me smile slightly. 

"34 pages, then I'm all yours." It was only 10 o'clock; we practically had the whole day ahead of us. Harry huffed, launching himself to lie next to me on the bed. It was quite difficult, seeing as I was in the centre, but he soon had his hips against mine, pushing me over so he could fit in. I giggled and continued to read. 

 

2 pages. I had read 2 pages and Harry was already starting.

"Are you done yet?"

"No, Harry."

3 pages after that.

"Are you done yet?"

"No, Harry." 

It was the third time that got me. I only had 18 pages left.

"Are you done yet?"

"Right, that's it. Out." Harry looked at me confused. "The more times you ask me if I'm done; the longer it's going to take me to finish, so out. I'll come and find you when I'm at the end." 

Harry sighed, creasing his eyebrows as he strolled out of the room. Well, not quite strolled. When he reached the doorway, he turned left to go to the living room and disappeared. Not that he had continued walking, however. I gasped at the sudden noise, sitting up to see what had happened. Sprawled out on the floor was Harry, obviously shocked. 

"Your goddamn shoes, Pepper." I burst out laughing as Harry stood himself up, scowling at me and then my shoes on the floor, the shoes that he had just tripped over. Physically clutching my stomach because I was laughing so hard, I glanced up at Harry who was struggling to keep the smile off of his face as he finally made his way to the living room. 

 

***

 

Harry was layed out on the sofa opposite the door, the back of his head facing me as he scrolled through his phone. Tiptoeing in, trying to not make any noise, I placed my hands on Harry's shoulders. His initial reaction was to jump, the shock of the sudden contact, but that almost instantly turned into moans. My hands continued to rub Harry's back, shoulders and neck, his head rolling back in pleasure.

"God, that feels good." He opened his eyes, watching me as I worked my magic. His grin mimicked mine, hands finding their way to my hips as he brought me around the arm of the sofa to sit on his stomach. 

"Hello again, Beautiful." I smiled as he pouted his lips, tapping them as to ask me to kiss them. I shook my head, agreeing to his unsaid question by placing my lips gently upon his. Harry, on the other hand, had a different idea. As soon as my lips met his, he applied pressure that immensely over powered mine, taking control of the deep and passionate kiss that he initiated. He pried my lips open with his tongue, smirking as he did so, so he could enter my mouth. I tried to protest, but Harry squeezing my bum gently as he moved me so I would straddle his body caused me to gasp, allowing him the access he wanted. Deciding that I was running out of oxygen, I pulled back, my hands against Harry's chest so he couldn't pull me back down again. 

"Aww." Harry stuck out his bottom lip, trying to sit himself up so he could kiss me again. But I forced him back down to the sofa. A smirk grew on Harry's lips.

"I like it when you're in control." I chose to ignore the comment made.

"I'm hungry."

"And what would you like to eat, your majesty?" I'm sure if Harry was standing up, he would've bowed, the posh accent he put on making him sound like a butler. I slapped his chest playfully, laughing slightly at his words, when I grinned suddenly, knowing what I wanted. 

"A McFlurry." Harry raised one eyebrow, but didn’t object to my requests.

"If a McFlurry is what you want, then a McFlurry is what you shall get." My hands were thrown into the air as I squirmed on top of Harry, doing a little victory dance. 

"Drive-thru here we come!" I screamed, jumping off Harry to put on my shoes, Harry chuckling as he went to do the same. 

"We're not doing drive-thru. We'll go in." It was my turn to raise an eyebrow. We both knew that Harry would get mobbed if we went inside the fast food restaurant to eat- it having happened to quite a few times before. Someone would recognise him, and in under 5 minutes half of the boys' fans in London would be there. It might be an alright day, where only one or two fans would ask for pictures, but I knew the hatred Harry had for fans coming up to him if we were out together. Especially if we were on a date, but not like they were to know that. To them, I was just a friend of the boys. Nevertheless, Harry put on a smile and was his usual polite self.

"It's fine, I'll just put my hood up."

The most brilliant idea popped into my mind.

"Oh my God. Please let me dress you up. Put a disguise on you." I grinned excitedly, pleased with myself for thinking of such an amazing idea. 

"Urm, no." Harry raised his eyebrows at me, talking with a 'duh' sound to his voice.

"Pleeaaassseeeee! I'll love you forever." I batted my eyelashes, using all of the persuasive body language I could think of to support my argument.

"You are not dressing me up, Pepper."

"Please?"

"No." I pouted, turning my back to the boy and continuing to tie my shoes. Harry chuckled as I threw my jacket over my shoulders, my back still facing him.

"Are you ignoring me now?" I didn’t reply, picking up my car keys from the cabinet in the hall way and walking to the door. 

"Oh no you don’t, missus." Large hands took hold of my waist, picking me up and put over his shoulder. 

"You're not going anywhere if you're not talking to me. I'll stop that silent treatment game you're playing." A husky whisper was spoken into my ear as he threw me onto his bed, the sexiest words I think I have ever heard. Harry lips moved almost instantly from my ear to my neck, sucking harshly. He had never treated me so brutally before, and I can't deny saying that it actually felt amazing. But I refused to give in, keeping myself silent. If Harry continued like this for much longer, I'm sure blood would be tickling down my lips considering how hard I was biting down on them right now. 

"I know you won't keep this up for much longer. I'm too irresistible." Harry chuckled at his own joke, his lips moving along where my jaw met my neck. Kisses were generously applied to my neck and chin, before they finally met my mouth. I surprised Harry by taking hold of his neck and pulling his face down as close to mine as possible as soon as his lips touched mine. He groaned at the sudden increase in affection on my behalf, mimicking the movement of my lips. I forced my tongue into his mouth, not giving him the opportunity to fight my tongue with his. My legs wrapped around Harry's waist, my arms tight around his neck as I lifted myself off of the bed- I was practically hanging off of him like a tree monkey. But that didn’t make a difference to the intense passion of the kiss.

When finally breathless, Harry was the first to pull away, rolling onto his back and taking me with him so I was sat on top of his waist. 

"That was so fucking hot." He grinned, my head leaning into the touch of his hand on my cheek. "I love it when you take control." I didn’t say a word, getting up and walking back out of the bedroom. When I heard Harry sigh heavily as I reached for my car keys again, I struggled to keep the smile from my face.

"Fine." I spun around to find him sat at the end of his bed, head in his hands. "You can put a disguise on me." The smile on my face couldn’t be any wider- I knew I had won.

 

***

 

"Just to let you know, I hate you right now. Don't expect to get anything more than a cuddle tonight, Pepper." I laughed as Harry mumbled under his breath at me. 

"You and I both know that that is not true." We were walking from the car park to the door of the fast food restaurant, arms continually brushing. I forced my hands into the pockets of Harry's joggers that I had stolen, knowing that I would be too tempted to take hold of his hand and that couldn’t happen. Harry pushed the door open for me, his large hand spanning over enough of the heavy door to open it one-handed. I ducked under his arm, playfully slapping his arse as I went past and pretending to check him out. 

Harry had been 'forced' (his words) into my shorts to come out in. They were a little tight around his waist, but not so tight that he couldn’t breathe, and reached under the bottom of his boxers. I wasn't one to wear butt shorts on a regular occasion but due to the length of Harry's legs, they could easily be mistaken for them at the moment. His hairy legs just topped off the whole look, to be honest. He wore one of his white, skin-tight t-shirts, but sported a thin, pink cardigan over the top that I had left at his when I basically lived there, adding to the femininity of his outfit. I had brushed out his curls slightly so they could shield his face a bit, finding a flower grip at the bottom of my bag to push back some strands of his hair.

But my favourite part of his look was Harry's face. I had full-on wrestled him to the floor, sitting on his chest and pining his wrists down with my feet so he couldn’t move, when I thought it was a good idea to put a bit of make up on him. There wasn't a lot: mascara, a tiny amount of foundation over his cheeks and some bright red lipstick (which he owned, don’t ask me why), but it was enough to altar his regular look anyway. Hopefully it would be enough to fool any paparazzi that happened to be passing by, enough to try and give us some privacy. 

 

I stood in queue to be served, rocking back and forth on my feet with a permanent grin on my face. Harry, on the other hand, slouched next to me, his scowl directed to the floor. 

"Cheer up, grumpy pants. It will be all over soon." I laughed slightly as I spoke, enjoying this moment far too much.

"Don't patronize me."

Harry ordered and paid for both of us- a Big Mac meal for him, chicken nuggets and a McFlurry for me. It is an understatement to say that Harry got some strange looks, not only by customers but by the workers as well. I slid into a booth designed for four people, Harry taking the seat opposite me with the tray as we proceeded to eat in silence. My eyes didn't divert from Harry as I ate, biting down on my lip every so often to stop myself from laughing. I was halfway through my ice-cream, Harry still having not said a word, when I decided to break the silence. 

"Come on, Babe. Nobody even recognised you. Why are you so pissed at me?" I moved around to Harry's side of the booth, resting my chin on the side of his shoulder as I talked to him. He turned his face away from me, almost looking like he was going to burst into tears. 

"I'm dressed like a fucking girl, Pepper. Everyone's looking at me like I have four heads."

"Well, I don't know about heads, but you do have four nipples." Harry frowned at me, my grin slowly disappearing as I realised my attempt to lighten the atmosphere wasn't really working. 

"Look, I'm sorry, Harry. Let's just go home. I can finish my ice-cream in the car and then I'm all yours for the rest of the day." I rested my hand on Harry's bare leg, knowing he like it when I squeezed his thigh gently. As if on cue, my fingers had barely brushed his skin when I felt him tense at my touch. I decided to play around with Harry's mix of arousal and anger, hoping to make him less displeased.

"Maybe I can do something for you… to make up for this." My voice trailed as I finished my sentence, Harry's gaze locking with mine as he came to realisation of my intentions. 

"Fuck, Pepper." I smirked to myself as he pushed me out of the booth, barely having time to pick up the remainings of my McFlurry as Harry took my hand and ran with me back to the car. 

 

 

The journey home was anything but boring, well for me anyway. My hand didn't once leave Harry's thigh, the occasion squeeze or rub of his leg causing Harry to lick his lips and straighten himself up. Anything to keep his concentration on the road. More than once he had practically pleaded me to stop, at least wait until we arrived home, but I was enjoying watching Harry lose his focus under my touch far too much. It wasn't hard to tell that Harry was enjoying my actions, my shorts seeming tighter on him now than they were when we left the house. 

Harry didn't even come round to open my door like he usually did when we got home, instead sprinting up to the front door and leaving it wide open. I laughed to myself, locking the door behind me as I looked for my disappearing boyfriend. Having seen the bathroom door close quickly, I pressed my ear to the wood, hoping to hear something. Disappointment filled me when al that came was silence.

"Harry? Are you alright in there?" 

"Just talk to me, Baby. And don't stop until I say." I was confused at Harry's request, but nevertheless proceeded to obey then. My back slid against the door until by bum hit the floor, soothing words leaving my mouth. 

Having had no orders of what to talk to him about, I decided on telling him the things I loved about him. 

"The way your eyes screw up when you're about to sneeze."

"The way you refuse to let me wear socks in bed because you hate the feeling of them against your legs- however much I hate you for it sometimes."

"The way your body tenses when I run my fingers across your skin."

"The way you always, without fail, get Louis a pair of novelty socks for Christmas just because you know he won't wear them."

"The way you always buy pairs of slippers, even though you never wear them." 

I chuckled at the thought of the pile of slippers that always seemed to be growing at the bottom of Harry's wardrobe.

"I didn’t tell you to stop." A strangled cry came from the other side of the door; something that immediately made me thought something was wrong. I didn't understand what was happening, but I continued anyway.

"The way your eyes gaze up and down my body moments before you enter me. The way your body melts against mine as you roll your hips to meet my own. The way you know exactly when to slow down, or to speed up, before I've even asked you. The way you know the how to hit the exact spot to make me fall apart beneath you."

I have no idea where the sudden confidence came from, but once I had started describing how amazing I thought Harry was in bed, I found myself unable to stop. A low moan voiced from the bathroom as I finished my last sentence and my curiosity took the best of me. I stood, opening the door as I rose to my feet. And in all honesty I did not expect what I saw.

All of the clothes that had been on Harry's person minutes before were in a pile on the floor. Harry sat stark naked on the toilet seat, hand furiously pumping at his hardened length, encouraging himself to let go.

To say I was shocked at the sight was an understatement.

"When I finally release," Harry panted, his breathlessness seeming to come from his activities, "you say something so unbelievably sexy that I get aroused again." Eyes never met mine as he spoke, instead focused on relieving himself.

"Harry-" 

"This has never happened to me before." I was cut off by a voice that made me pity the guy. For as long as I had known him, Harry had always been bold about anything sexually related. But at this moment, he looked vulnerable as he peered up at me through his heavy eyelids. 

"I-I don't know what to say." I stood speechless, hand stuck to the doorknob for support.

"Please help me." Harry's plead for help didn’t help, the words leaving me even more speechless than before.

"W-what?"

"I think if you're involved, it will help my situation. I don’t really mind what we do- I'm up for anything at the moment."

Harry's hand left its job as he rose to his feet and walked towards me, any vulnerability I saw earlier completely disappearing as his lips spread into a wide grin. Coaxing me into following his requests. I jumped slightly when his erection brushed my clothed stomach as he leant down to whisper into my ear. 

"I'm so fucking turned on right now." 

The sudden force of Harry's lips against mine shocked me, but as kissing was something I had become accustomed to in this relationship, I quickly forgot any foreign thoughts and moulded by mouth into his. I was in such a trance that I didn’t even realise when Harry removed one of my hands from his neck until I felt his length under my fingers. 

"Please." Harry's whispers tickled against my lips. Once again I found myself curious, fingertips lightly tracing along Harry's length- he hissed at the feeling.

"I don't know what to do." My confession didn’t make Harry laugh like I thought it would, instead getting him to help me out a little. His large had dwarfed mine as it curled my fingers around his shaft, showing me how to move my wrist to his pleasure. Once I had found my rhythm, he removed his hand to wrap in his hair, failing at keeping moans from leaving his mouth. 

"You have no idea how hard I'm trying not to come yet. You have no idea how much I want you to do this forever." 

I could feel the throbbing sensation he had going on wherever my hand touched. Part of my mind had suddenly turned adventurous. If I had already gone this far out of my comfort zone to pleasure Harry- which gave me a great thrill, watching him fall apart at my touch- then what's stopping me from going further?

"Do you… um… do you want me to go down on you?" My voice came out quieter than intender. I couldn't bring myself to look up at the Harry, instead finding the comfort I didn’t realise I needed from him in his hands which locked with mine. 

"No. I'm not going to force you into anything. You have no idea how turned on I am right now, but I don't want to push you too far." His hand leaving mine and tracing over my upper lip brought my eyes to meet his, a soft kiss being shared between us.

My eyes were screwed shut as he pulled back. Fingers tried to replicate the feeling of Harry's lips against mine, but the feeling was incomparable. Only Harry would be able to send me into the trance that he did.

"Besides, one more touch and I think I'm gonna release. I don't think I'd be able to last a second with you around me." The slight laugh to his words showed his amusement. 

It amazed me how Harry could be so controlling at this stage in his arousal. Previously, he had been unable to string together a coherent sentence even at the beginning of his process. So the fact that we had basically just had a full conversation surprised me.

A strangled cry snapped me out of my thoughts. During my thinking time, I had unknowingly taken a firm grip on Harry's hardened length. At that instant, the sudden pressure had taken Harry just that bit over the edge, his white, sticky substance being released onto my hand and shirt. I gasped, looking up to him in shock, but I was greeted with closed eyes and his breath coming out in short pants. 

"Fuck."

"Harry, shit I'm sorry. I-" My words were cut off by Harry's chuckles. I stood there, eyes open and confused.

"Why are you laughing?"

Harry took my hand in his, his thumb tracing aimless patterns over the skin.

"It's just, most girls wouldn't be apologising for being the cause of their boyfriend's best orgasm they've ever had." 

My jaw fell. I was shocked, not knowing I was able to have that effect on the boy. Harry just laughed again, pulling me into a tight hug, my body frozen. 

"You're so innocent sometimes." 

Harry pulled away, pressing a small kiss to my lips. I still couldn’t move.

"I …."

"Come on, Beautiful. Let's get you cleaned up."

 

***

 

"I love you." 

"I know you do." Harry's long fingers threaded through the knots in my tangled hair. Fine hairs tickled the sole of my foot as I gentle moved it up and down his leg. 

"You know," I started, rolling over and laying my chin onto my entwined hands which rested on Harry's bare chest. "you amaze me sometimes."

"I do?" 

Harry glanced down at me, eyes locked onto mine through his eyelashes.

"Yeah. I don’t know any other person that can get turned on by me talking about Louis and his strange hatred for socks." A large grin spread across my lips as the words left my mouth.

"Oh piss off."

In less than a second, I had been rolled underneath Harry. His gaze stared at mine, an obvious attempt to seem angry at me failing by the smirk playing on his lips. He leant down, breath mixing with mine as lips touched.

 

"One day, Miss Pepper. One day you're going to be the death of me."


End file.
